Flash hider for machine guns



May 3, 1949. E. GARRETT FLASH HIDER FOR MACHINE GUNS Filed Dec. 26, 1944 lllllllll I,

AF @MQWIF INVENTOR. EM/L GARRET T ATTORNEY Patented May 3, 1949 UNITED STATES FFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to a flash hider for machine guns and the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide a flash eliminator which will smoother and conceal the flare of light from burning powder particles and propellant gases ordinarily occurring at the muzzle of a gun when fired, and by the same means to provide an effective silencer;

Second, to provide such a device without unduly increasing the length or weight of the gun or deleteriously affecting its balance;

Third, to provide such a device in a form allowing ease in assembly and dismantling of the gun for repair and servicing and allowing quick attachment in the field when the device is used as an accessory;

Fourth, to provide such a device in a farm allowing adjustment for different ammunition and for different cyclic rates of operation of the machine gun; and

Fifth, to provide a device which will conform to requirements for armament such as simplicity and ruggedness, capability of being stored without deteriorating and not hazardous to personnel operating the device.

With these and other objects in View as will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the characters of reference thereon which form a part of this application in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top view, partly in plan and partly in section showing the muzzle end of the gun barrel and gun barrel jacket to which my device is operatively secured; Fig. 2 a side elevational view of my device; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of my device taken on a line 3-3 in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an elevational view of one of the battle plates; and Fig. 5 is an end elevational view of the forward end of my device.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar or identical parts and portions throughout the several views of the drawings.

The end of the gun barrel l is shown inside the gun barrel jacket 2, a non-recoiling part of the machine gun, to which I secure my device by means of a hollow muzzle adapter 3 which is externally threaded to engage the internally threaded end portion 2a of the gun barrel jacket and'the muzzle end of the gunbarrel is sup ported in the bearing portion of said muzzle adapter 3 in such a manner that said trunnion functionally replaces the front gun barrel bearing nut, which before the attachment of my device to the machine gun, supported the muzzle end of the gun barrel within the gun barrel jacket.

Integral in construction with said muzzle adapter is the cylindrical expansion chamber 4 into which the burned propellant gases emerge behind the projectile or bullet and in expanding some of the inertia and heat of these gases is expended. Baffle plates ii and 5a, centrally perforated to allow passage of the bullet and arranged in spaced relation and welded to the walls of chamber l, turn these expanding gases outwardly into the two laterally disposed bleeder tubes 2 and la which terminate at the forward ends in angularly disposed end plates 3 and 8a which also serve as baffles directing the gases to- Wards the rear. The gases, thus deflected are led rearwardly through the tubes 9 and 9a, downwardly through the tubes Ill and l 0a and forwardly through the longer tubes l l and Ila which terminate in the filters l2 and Ma. The novel features of these filters include cylindrical expansion chambers partially closed by perforated end plates l3 and lid, Fig. 1, and similarly perforated caps it and Ma secured thereto by short axis pins l 5 and Ilia, the degree of registration of the perforations in said plates and caps being adjustable and the end plates 13 are locked against rotation by the cotter keys l6 and Ita; This adjustment provides for control of the back pressure exerted bythe gases on the recoiling portions of the gun thus controlling to a considerable degree the cyclic rate of fire.

The central portion of my device forward of the chamber t includes a cylindrical expansion cylinder ll constructed integral with the walls of said chamber and housing a baffle assembly comprised of a plurality of baflle plates l8 which are round fiat discs perforated centrally to allow passage of the projectile as at Ida and also perforated as at i319, as indicated in Fig. 4, to allow the mounting of these discs in spaced relation on three rods IS, the assembly being adapted to be inserted into the cylinder ll from the forward end thereof. A single free baffle plate 26 similar to the baflle plate 5 is inserted at the end of this assembly and the cap 2| internally threaded to engage the externally threaded end portion of the cylinder I! is screwed on till the shoulder 2m of the cap forces the battle Ell inwardly clamping the rods it between said baffle 26 and the baffle 5a so that the baffie assembly is held rigidly. A replaceable sponge or pad 22 of heat-resistant re 

